March has been another busy month for the Society, catching
up after our trip to South Africa, working on the preparations for the
2012 Gathering in Hull at the end of July, updating the Dalton International
DNA Project list of participants and dealing with the usual enquiries
and correspondence by email.

At the end of the month, John Dalton, Editor of the
DGS Journal, and I attended the AGM of the Federation of Family History
Societies to receive our Elizabeth Simpson Award for the DGS Journal.
This was announced last November in“Daltons
in History", and the presentation is covered in more detail
in a separate section below.

Also at the end of the month, I hosted a Guild of One
Name Studies Regional Meeting here in Reigate and again there is another
separate section below covering this in more detail.

As always you will also find all the latest news about
DGS events and activities, together with other updates to keep you fully
informed about what we are doing.

Correspondence section in “Daltons
in History"

"Daltons in History" jogs the memories
of many readers, provoking questions which you may have, or reminding
you of further information, substantive or anecdotal, which you might
like to share with other readers. With this in mind, we now have
a correspondence section in "Daltons in History",
started at the beginning of this year. I know that our Editor, Dairne
Irwin, will welcome correspondence from as many of you as care to write
in! So why not make a comment, provide additional information, or ask
a question? Such contributions will be welcomed most warmly and we want
a lively discussion ensuing, which will be of interest to all our readers.
“Daltons in History" is your
online newsletter, so let’s see some of you becoming regular
correspondents! I look forward to seeing the correspondence section
continuing to grow over the coming months!

Future DGS events

For the 2012 Gathering and AGM we are returning
to Yorkshire over the weekend of Fri/Sat/Sun 27th/28th/29th July 2012.
The venue for this event is the Mercure Hull West Hotel, which is very
accessible and ideally situated between Hull, which has a number of interesting
Dalton connections, and Beverley with its Minster and excellent Record
Office. The arrangements for the 2012 gathering have been published
and they can be found in the “Forthcoming Gatherings” section
of this website or just
click here. These include the planned programme for
the weekend, together with full details about costs, registration and
how to book your place. This is turning out to be a popular event for
both UK and overseas members, and, if you have not already done so, it
is recommended that you register as soon as possible. This will secure
a firm place for you, and the earlier we have an indication of likely
final numbers, the easier it will be for us to ensure that we can accommodate
as many of you as wish to come. Thank you to all those of you who have
returned your registration forms and deposits by the second deadline of
31st March 2012. Our next deadline will be 30th April 2012.
Reminder emails or letters have been sent out to many of you, and we look
forward to further registrations from members and their families by then.

I am most grateful to Howard Dalton of Pickering for
taking on the task of Gathering Organiser. Howard is a past DGS Treasurer
and well known to many DGS members. He organised previous DGS Gatherings
in Scarborough in 1992 and in Pickering in 2002. Howard and I will be
in Hull on 19th and 20th April finalising arrangements with the hotel
and checking out the details of each element of the programme for the
weekend. We have a busy schedule in place for this final visit to Hull
before the gathering itself!

In this month’s “Daltons in History"
you will find the fourth in a series of articles about
Yorkshire Daltons and the County of Yorkshire, which we are publishing
month by month leading up to the event itself in July. This fourth article
is entitled “David Hockney and the Yorkshire countryside"
and you will find it below.

For 2013 we are returning to Ireland.
We will be based in Dublin, as we were in 2005, and the event will take
place over the weekend of Fri/Sat/Sun 26th/27th/28th July 2013.
It is planned that we will stay at the Ashling Hotel, where we were in
2005. Since then the hotel has been considerably refurbished and I am
confident that we will be very well looked after. You can see more about
the Ashling Hotel on www.ashlinghotel.ie.
Ciaran Dalton, our Irish Secretary and Chieftain of Clan Dalton, and I
are now working to put a detailed programme together, and we will provide
further details in July at our Hull gathering, on this website and in
the next issue of the DGS Journal. In the meantime please reserve the
dates in your diary. We will hope to see many DGS members there and particularly
those with Irish Dalton ancestry.

For 2014 and beyond we have a number of suggestions
already. But, if you have any particular thoughts about where
you might like to meet, or a particular Dalton theme you think we should
incorporate, we would really like to hear from you with your ideas.

The Dalton International DNA Project (DIDP)

We are indebted to our DNA consultant, Chris Pomery
for all his assistance with the project over the past six years, which
includes the preparation of three issues of the very comprehensive project
progress report, and most recently a series of six reports covering individual
genetic families. He has also given informative presentations at our annual
gatherings on three occasions. We now have approaching 180 participants
in the project, and well over 80% of these are members of one of the 15
identified genetic families. The latest DIDP update was published
last month and can be found in the "Dalton DNA Project"
section of this website or just
click here. This reviews the current status of the project
and looks ahead with our plans for further work in 2012.

The DGS Journal

Volume 55 of the DGS Journal for December 2011
was published and distributed to members in mid-January. Any
member who has not received their copy should contact their local secretary
in the first instance. As always this latest volume of the Journal contains
much of interest and, if you are not a DGS member, please think about
joining the Society. This will entitle you to receive the Journal regularly,
and much more. Full details are in the "Join the DGS"
section of this website, or just
click here.

John always welcomes articles and other items
for publication in the Journal. Any material for publication
should be sent to him as early as possible, so that he can plan the content
of future issues. John is happy to advise and assist contributors and,
if you have any questions or need help, please contact him by email at
johndalton78@hotmail.com.
The deadline for material for inclusion in Volume 56 for June
2012 will be mid-May.

Back issues of the DGS Journal continue to be
available. On this website you can access the "DGS Journal
Index" from the homepage or by clicking
here. Here you will find a full synopsis of the contents
of the Journal of the Dalton Genealogical Society commencing with Volume
1 published back in 1970 through to Volume 41 published in December 2004.
Lists of contents are given for Volumes 42 to 55 and the full synopses
will be uploaded in due course. Copies of all back numbers are available
for purchase and these can be obtained through your local secretary using
the order form that you will find on the link above. Details of prices,
including postage and packing, will be found there as well.

We are most grateful to DGS member Mrs Pat Robinson,
who holds stocks of back numbers for the Society and arranges for their
distribution in response to requests from the local secretaries (address:
Mallards, 3 High Street, The Green, Barrington, Cambridge CB2 5QX, UK
email: gandprobinson@waitrose.com.)

Conclusion

Enjoy this month’s issue of "Daltons
in History", your regular monthly update on everything that
is happening in the world of Dalton family history. We will be back again
in May 2012.

Thank you for your attention.

Yours very sincerely

Michael Neale Dalton
Chairman and Honorary Life President of the Dalton Genealogical Society

At a General Meeting of the Federation of Family
History Societies held in London on 24 March 2012, an Elizabeth Simpson
Award was made to the Society for achieving second place in the One Name
Societies section of the competition for 2011. Chairman, Michael Dalton
and Editor, John Dalton attended to receive the award and Michael picks
up the story.

We were notified by the Federation of Family History
Societies (FFHS) that we had won an Elizabeth Simpson Award for the DGS
Journal back in October last year and this was reported in the November
2011 issue of "Daltons in History" as follows:

Award for the Journal of the Dalton Genealogical
Society

Each year the Federation of Family History Societies
(FFHS), to which the DGS is affiliated, makes awards for the best websites
and the best journals. Two years ago we won an award for our website.
I am delighted to announce that we have just been notified that the DGS
Journal has won an Elizabeth Simpson Award in the one name society category
of the 2011 competition. This prestigious award will be presented at the
FFHS AGM and General Meeting in London on 24 March 2012 and John Dalton,
our editor, and I plan to be there to receive it. Many congratulations
to John – a very well deserved recognition of all his hard work.
John took over as editor of the DGS Journal in 2005, and he has been on
the editorial team since 1993 when Lucy Slater and Morag Simpson took
over from me as joint editors. Just on a historical note, Elizabeth Simpson
was the first general secretary of the Federation when it was formed in
1974 and I remember her well. The awards for best Journal were started
many years ago in her name, and are a permanent reminder of the pioneering
work that she undertook in the early days of the Federation.

The FFHS meets twice a year, usually in March and in
September. The March 2012 meeting took place at Wesley’s Chapel
and those who attended had the opportunity in the morning to enjoy a guided
tour of this famous “Cathedral of Methodism” situated in City
Road, London EC1. The Chapel was built in the 1770’s and John Wesley,
who founded the Methodist movement in the 1740’s, lived the last
11 years of his life in a house adjacent to the Chapel. Since his death
in 1791 the Chapel has been at the centre of the Methodist church worldwide
and witnessed many historic events in the development of the Methodist
movement. The photographs give a little insight into this delightful building
and its setting.

Wesley's Chapel exterior
and statue of John Wesley

Memorial to John Wesley
in the grounds of Wesley's Chapel

Interior of Wesley's Chapel

Inscription on John Wesley's
memorial

Michael Dalton and John
Dalton in the grounds of Wesley's Chapel

After a buffet lunch it was down to the business of the
day, the FFHS AGM and General Meeting. The Federation undertakes an enormous
amount of work to support in excess of 160 affiliated societies, regional,
one name and overseas. Many of these were represented at the meeting and
there was much lively debate and discussion. Of course we were eagerly
awaiting the announcements of the Elizabeth Simpson Awards, having previously
been informed of our success. The Chairman of the Judging Panel, Geoff
Gardiner of the Bristol & Avon Family History Society, introduced
the awards with his summary of the 2011 entry. There were a total of 31
entries across the four categories of large, one-name, small and overseas
societies. Winners in each category were announced, with three awards
being made in the one-name section – first place to the Witheridge
Family History Society, second place to the Dalton Genealogical Society
and third place to the Stonehewer to Stanier Society. The overall winner
was declared as the Genealogical Society of Victoria, Australia. Commenting
on the quality of the entries, Geoff Gardiner said that the general standard
was higher than last year and he congratulated the editors on the hard
work that they put in to their entries. He extended these congratulations
to all family history journal editors who contribute so much to family
history. Their work is hard but rewarding and I know that John will echo
this sentiment. So, special congratulations again to our editor, John
– a very well deserved award.

The Elizabeth Simpson Award certificate awarded
to the Society

Michael Dalton and John
Dalton receive the award from FFHS President Dr Nick Barratt

On Wednesday 28 March, 2012 the Chairman again
hosted a meeting of the Surrey & West London regional group of the
Guild of One Name Studies at his home in Reigate, Surrey. This flourishing
group continues to meet about six times a year for informal sessions to
share experience of running one name studies. The group owes its success
to the indefatigable regional representative, Jan Cooper, who started
the group about three years ago. Jan is also the Secretary of the Guild.
Here Michael reports on the evening.

Jan had specifically asked me to speak about the DGS
Gathering held in Salt Lake City last year. Sixteen members of the group
found their way to Harewood Close, Reigate and I had set out on the table
various items from the gathering including the programme, sample badges,
various leaflets and booklets about Salt Lake City and the event, and
of course the beautiful plate with the Dalton coat of arms which Karen
and David Preston had commissioned specially for the occasion. In addition
there were DGS Journals, photograph boards from earlier gatherings and
other Dalton books and records.

I started my talk by explaining a little about the Dalton
Genealogical Society and its history and background over the past 42 years.
I then moved on to the early gatherings, the first of which was held back
in 1979. Initially, of course, they were one day events held every other
year. In 1983 the first weekend gathering was held in Lancashire. As the
years went by we gradually became more ambitious and the events grew into
the annual weekends held in the UK and overseas that are now such an established
part of our DGS activities.

We then moved on to the 2011 event and I illustrated
the talk with my collection of photographs of the gathering and the places
that we visited in and around Salt Lake City. I also explained the connections
between the Dalton family and the Mormon Church and much interest was
shown in the story of early pioneers and the hardships they endured as
they trekked west and established themselves in Utah.

Much interest was shown in the technology used for broadcasting
the conference proceedings live over the internet and I demonstrated the
quality of our recorded talks accessible from our website on YouTube.

Jan commented that the Dalton weekend seemed well organised
and appeared to be great fun and thanked me for sharing it with the group.
A lively discussion ensued about many aspects of organising gatherings
and what it involves.

Jan described the two gatherings that she has organised
for the Greatheads and passed round some very interesting pictures and
a most impressive book created to commemorate their meeting in Hartlepool.

Stuart and Teresa Pask also explained their gathering
of Pasks and how they organised it. They were nearly overwhelmed by the
numbers that attended (well over two hundred), but they were delighted
at how successful the event had been.

As always on these occasions, time ran out and Jan had
to draw the meeting to a close. I hope that everyone attending found the
evening of interest. I certainly enjoyed sharing the experience of Salt
Lake City and being reminded again of the amazing time we had last September.

The Chairman, Michael Dalton and his wife Kate
recently visited the Hockney Exhibition at the Royal Academy in London.
This major exhibition concentrates on David Hockney’s native Yorkshire
and the prolific studies that he has made of the Yorkshire countryside.
At our forthcoming Yorkshire gathering we will be visiting the Yorkshire
Wolds, from where Daltons hail. Kate Dalton takes up this theme and gives
a foretaste of what is to come.

A Foretaste of Yorkshire

Garrowby Hill by David Hockney 1998

Is it really only April? I feel as if the Dalton Gathering
is upon me already as I meander through The Royal Academy studying the
David Hockney paintings and drawings of East Yorkshire. Is this area so
beautiful and does the countryside sport blue tree trunks and purple roads?
The senses are touched as I feel the Yorkshire Wolds through the eyes
of the artist as his imagination runs wild.

I look forward to us all meeting up in July when I hope
the weather will be bright, and I will be able to remember Hockney’s
interpretation of this relatively undiscovered part of Britain.

Father Victor Dalton was born on the 21st February, 1939,
the eldest child of Joseph and Agnes Dalton at Ingham Hospital.

At age 2 Victor went missing on the cane farm on the
banks of the Herbert River.

Mum couldn't find him and called the men in to look
for him. They found him in amongst the cane with the goats. He had a bin
and was trying to milk the goats like mum.

Aged 4, Victor was standing on the footpath outside
Anthony's in Ingham, watching the bombers going over from the Ingham Airdrome.
The planes loaded with bombs for New Guinea. One plane had engine trouble
and was just skimming the tops of the Rain Trees in Herbert Street. A
car travelling along, the driver had his head out the window watching
the plane, when he mounted the footpath and collected Victor and put him
through the plate glass window.

He was unrecognisable, except for a blazer he was wearing.
Our mother played hockey and had material left over from a blazer that
she made and made one for Victor. The fire brigade next door to Anthony's,
the fire officer recognised his blazer. Victor suffered lacerations and
internal injuries plus a very badly broken right arm in several places.
He was admitted to hospital. Years later when he used to put his right
arm straight out in front of him, the arm always had an “L”
shape.

He attended State School, at Ingham. When he was about
8 he attended Lex Frasers Boxing School where he learnt to box. His sparing
partner was Frank Ali, few people knew he was learning boxing. Around
age 12 the school bully picked on Victor and they proceeded to fight under
the mango tree. The bully was a street fighter, where as Victor was danced,
ducked and weaved. The Teachers realized Victor was beating the bully.
After the fight both boys were taken to the Office. Victor was very academic
at school.

After a few months after this incident, the boys used
to swim in the Sandy Waterhole, it had water lillies and Hyancinths growing
in there. The bully was caught in amongst the vegetation and was drowning,
and Victor saved him and they became friends. Victor and Trevor Pryor
used to race each other in the waterhole.

Mum was a music teacher and taught Victor the piano
and violin and later went on to the convent where he continued his lessons.
At around age 11 Victor joined the Municipal Band where he leant to play
the Euphonium, it is like a small tuba. Later in his teens he bought himself
a trumpet and he also learnt the guitar.

When Victor was 12 mum enrolled him in a correspondent
course with the Melbourne Art Training Institute, he proceeded to lean
pencil drawings and went on to oil paints. He always loved the oil paints
and did several paintings, he gave mum several. He used to come home on
holidays and paint, he loved the colour blue.

At 15 he finished school in Ingham and received an apprenticeship
with Spears, the electrician, after 12 months he transferred to N.E.A.
where he finished his apprenticeship at the Townsville Power House.

During that time he bordered with Uncle and Aunty and
their 6 children, Mums brother, while living there he learnt judo. He
also was with St. Vincent de Paul as a volunteer and was on call and occasionally
worked at the men's shelter.

When Victor had finished his apprenticeship he was in
the control room at the power house. Reporting to work one morning, they
had a fault and were having problems in the control room, he was investigating
when he struck an arch and the place exploded and caught fire. He was
burnt on the face, neck and hands, he had to climb down a 40 foot ladder
to reach the ground, all this time he was on fire. When he reached the
ground he was trying to put the fire on his face out with his hands on
fire. He spent several weeks in hospital for burns.

Victor entered the Banyo Seminary in his 20's to become
a Priest, Bishop Michael and Victor were in the same class at the seminary.
Victor was ordained a Catholic Priest on the 28th June, 1969 at Sacred
Heart Cathedral at 10am by His Lordship Bishop La Farlkner. Sunday 29th
June, 1969 he celebrated Mass at St. Patrick's Church, South Townsville.

He served in Mundingburra, Ingham, Bowen, Inlea Creek,
Railway Estate, Mt. Isa, Richmond, Hughenden and St. Mary's West End.
He was always interested in St. Vincent de Paul.

While in Mt. Isa he became interested in the Dalton
Family History. He met cousins, Uncles and Aunts in Mt. Isa, and that
started him on the Family Tree, he was able to go back to 1770 in Ireland
while Parish Priest in Hughenden.

The relations recently had a Family Reunion where Victor
was praised for the Family History. Also Elizabeth Connor an Ancestor
and Convict, her bonnet is now in the Cork Museum because of Victor.

While in Hughenden Victor learnt he had heart problems
and Parkinsons disease and was transferred to St. Mary's Parish where
he could receive treatment and care.

Victor was a humble, dedicated and caring person.

Heather

Note from Gerry Dalton:

Regarding the bonnet to which Heather is referring:
Colin and Lou Gray of New Zealand commissioned a beautifully embroidered
and hand worked bonnet to be made in the honour of Mary Connor, the Irish
convict girl transported on the ‘Elizabeth’ in 1828. Mary
married George Gray and had their family near the Crookwell district of
New South Wales and this family formed the basis of our large extended
family today. Colin and Lou took this bonnet to Ireland for a very special
ceremony at the Cork Gaol and this bonnet is now on display in the gaol
as a tribute to our ancestor. The bonnet was inspired by Dr Christina
Henri’s ‘Roses from the Heart’ project which is a project
to present a memorial bonnet for every female convict. Mary Connor and
Mary Connor and George Gray had several children and one was a daughter
Mary who married John James Dalton.

Mary Connor’s the great great grandmother
to Vic and Heather Dalton as well as Colin Gray and the great great great
grandmother to Gerry Dalton.

It was back in the 1990s when Tom and I first met Vic
Dalton. We were on our way back from a camping and fishing trip to the
Gulf of Carpentaria and decided to swing down to Mt. Isa and locate Father
Victor Dalton, the author of the book "Who We Are – A Family
History". This book had become my family history reference book
and I was very keen to meet the man who wrote this wonderful book. When
we called at the Catholic presbytery, we were told Father Dalton was no
longer in Mt. Isa and was now in Townsville. Townsville just happened
to be about 1,000 kilometers away and on the road we would be taking to
get back home to Cairns so we decided to spend a couple of days in Townsville
and look up Vic Dalton.

On the off chance of Vic being home, we knocked on the
door of the house next to St. Mary’s Catholic Church, West End and
the housekeeper informed us that Father Dalton was available. We had a
most enjoyable visit with Vic and just before we left that day we took
a photo and Vic asked me to write my name and address in his little address
book. Vic was unable to write by this stage as the dreaded illness, Parkinsons
Disease was taking control of his body.

This meeting was the commencement of years of visits,
communications and sharing of family history information. I looked to
Vic as my mentor and the person who set me on a path of discovery and
these discoveries have really changed my whole perception of the family
unit. I will be for ever grateful to Vic for his generous sharing of his
family history notes and research.

Vic was a marvelous ambassador for family history and
fostered not only kinship but friendship over the various branches of
our huge extended family.

On the last weekend of October 2010, a large family gathering
was held at Crookwell, New South Wales. Tom and I were the publicists
for this amazing family event. It was my honour and privilege to be able
to publically give thanks to Vic Dalton for fostering the kinship over
the various branches of the family. Many of the 200 plus people attending
the reunion had met Vic when he was travelling and researching his family
history. All the family members held Vic in high regards and have the
fondest memories of Vic. This reunion at Crookwell was for the descendants
of the convict Mary Connor and George Gray. One of Mary and George’s
daughters, Mary, married John James Dalton and they are the foundation
of our Dalton branch here in Australia.

Know mostly as Vic or Father Vic, he was always called
Victor by his devoted sister Heather. Heather was at Vic’s bedside
at his passing. Heather devoted her time to Vic, spending long hours with
him in the hospital and she was an enormous comfort to him.

After sending several emails to first cousins of Vic,
it was discovered that most of the family members did not know Vic in
his younger years. Other family members were mostly in the remote Queensland
mining town of Mt. Isa and Vic grew up on the coast, over 1,000 kilometers
apart. Australia is such a vast continent that unless you have visited
our shores, the distances can be incomprehensible.

Vic was not only an inspiration to myself but to anyone
who knew him. He shared, most generously, any family history information
he had researched and gathered.

Vic’s memory will live on in the minds and hearts
of the many people whose life he touched. His family history research
work will be continued by the numerous family members he influenced and
encouraged to take up the challenge to connect with the past.

"You don’t know who you are till
you know where you come from" this is a quote from
Vic’s book "Who we Are - A Family History".

Cheerio Vic. Rest in Peace.

Bishop Faulkner and Father Vic Dalton at Mt.
Isa c.1982

N.B. There will be more on this
in the next edition of the DGS Journal.

3.From Michael
Dalton, Chairman of the DGS

I have received the sad news of the death of Madge Dalton.
I have written to her son and to her husband. Further information will
appear in the next DGS Journal.

4. From Maureen Collins, Australian
and New Zealand Secretary

Here’s the obituary for Pat Adams, long-time
member of the DGS in Australia and introduced to me by Jilly Warren before
I became Secretary.

Pat Adams was my cousin 4th removed. We shared common
gt. gt. gt. grandparents. Pat’s is the senior line from this ancestor.
My line descends from the second son William Dalton the only other surviving
son and the first Australian born child.

We only became "reconnected" as a family around
1987-88 at the same time the DGS was forming a Branch here in Australia.
Pat, my parents Aub and Hazel Dalton and myself were founding members
of the Australian Branch. I agreed to become the Australian Secretary,
my parents having contacted Michael Dalton whilst they were in London
about that time. Michael and Kate Dalton came here in 1988 for the Bicentennial
Australian Genealogical Conference and Pat and Rai, Mum and Dad, my husband
Ralph and I had fun showing them Sydney and the south coast of NSW. At
that time we also met Australian members of Michael’s family when
I hosted a dinner at my home.

Pat, and her husband Rai became instant extended family
and we had many happy social occasions together including a small family
gathering at Pat and Rai’s home in Lindfield (Sydney) with representatives
of all the known lines of this London based Dalton family.

Sadly Pat was an only child and the Dalton name disappeared
with her marriage. She is survived by two wonderful children, "Pip"
Alan Philip Scott Adams a specialist doctor and Julie Elizabeth Scott
Adams, a university librarian. Pip and wife Helen have 3 girls and Julie
and husband Tim have a boy and a girl. These children in turn have 5 children
perhaps six children, Pat’s great grandchildren, one or two either
newly born or about to be born.

Rich Dalton Jnr

Herbert Dalton

Rich Dalton Ygr

Pat Adams

When the DGS celebrated it’s 25th Anniversary,
Pat Adams was staying with friends in Southampton, England, so I collected
her and we spent an enjoyable few days driving through Wales and then
at the Anniversary in Herefordshire. She was indeed a lovely person and
I shall miss our occasional conversations and greetings cards.

Maureen Collins

From the Editor, Dairne Irwin, Bolton, Lancashire,
United Kingdom

How many times have you seen a place called Dalton
and you have wondered why the place has been given this name?

This story begins when my husband and I visited a holiday
and travel exhibition for groups at the Excel Centre at the Trafford Centre,
Manchester, England. We were browsing the stalls for the Durham area,
which lies in the North East of England when I saw a leaflet entitled
"parkland – Get into park life. at Dalton Park".
(I have copied the title grammatical mistakes and all!) This was advertising
a recently opened out of town shopping centre. After a quick perusal of
the leaflet to see if I could find out why it was called Dalton Park I
found there was no explanation given.

Roll on a few weeks and it was time to put the April
edition of the "Daltons in History" together. As usual
I was short of copy so I decided to find the leaflet and begin my quest
for the reason behind the name. I sent an email off to the shopping centre
www.dalton-park.co.uk hoping
they could supply the answer to my query. As of yet I have not had a reply
so I commenced my own research using the internet.

I knew, from the leaflet that from as early as 1838 the
site of Dalton Park was a tip site for colliery spoil mined from the nearby
Murton Colliery. Mineral waste was transferred to the site via an overhead
cable car that ran from the pit head in Murton. After the closure of the
Murton colliery in 1991 the site lay empty until work began on Dalton
Park in March 2002.

I decided to research the history of the Murton colliery
first using a site www.dmm.org.uk/colliery.
This is an excellent on-line site of the Durham Mining Museum which lists
all the coal mines of the area and gives detailed descriptions of the
mines’ history, the owners and miners who have been fatally injured
whilst working at the mines. If any one has a miner in their family tree
who worked in the Durham mines this is the site to visit.

There on the title page was my next piece of information.
The Murton colliery was also known as "Dalton Winning or Dalton
New Winning". I read that the sinking of the first shaft the
East Pit began 19th February, 1838, followed by the Middle Pit (Polka)
and the West Pit (New). The mine started producing coal in April 1843
which was used for coking, gas, household steam and manufacturing. Its
peak of employment was 1925 when there were 2799 men and boys working
below ground and 837 above ground. The mine finally closed in on 29 November,
1991.

I then decided to look at the name Murton which is a
common Old English place name meaning Moor Town. I was able to find a
1777 tithe map of the village Morton in the Winns, where it showed an
area called Long Flat was the site of the colliery.

1771 Tithe Map of Morton in the Winns

Murton Colliery from Batter
Law Hill c.1900

Murton Colliery c.1900

Continuing to use www.murtonheritagesociety.co.uk
I discovered that Murton was one of 4 townships of the ecclesiastical
Parish of Dalton. The Parish included the 4 constabularies of Dalton-le-Dale
, Daidon/Dalden/Dawden + outlying farms, Moreton-in-the-Winns/Whins and
Cold Hesledon. The land to the north of the village belonged to Rev. E.
H. Shipperdson and to the south the Earl of Scarborough.

The ancient parish seat of Dalton-le Dale was first mentioned
c. AD 700 by the Venerable Bede who described it as a "cluster
of 10 households round the Guildhall of Witmar, a Saxon theign and Soldier
of Christ".

In 1155 the boundaries between the church of Dalden
and lords of Dalden were decided by arbitration. In approximately 1150
the Roman Catholic Church of St. Stephen’s Dalton in Dale was founded
during the turbulent reign of King Stephen. This was only 84 years after
the Norman Conquest. But c. 1575, during the reign of Elizabeth (1558
– 1602 it became an Anglican church.

In early 2000 the regeneration of the area began with
the development of the Dalton Retail Park by ING Real Estate, a development
arm of a major European bank. Over 600,000 cubic metres of colliery spoil
was shifted in order to create space for the construction of the buildings
and car parks of the retail outlet. All the material excavated on site
was reused to create the hills and valleys of the parkland. Recycled organic
waste was used to enrich the colliery shale so that the colonies of woodland,
wetland and wildflower meadows could be established.

Dalton Park

Map of the Wildlife Areas and Trails

The lakes and wetlands provide a valuable habitat for
wildlife, and help to clean the rainwater as it runs off the site prior
to entering the Murton Dean, a stream which runs some 20m below the parkland.

On either side of the entrance road, colliery spoil has
been sculptured into flowing terraces to form a gateway to the site. It
is here, where the steps climb to the summit at Falcon Point, that the
Sky Gate forms the entrance to the parkland.

The parkland covers 55acres. Besides the shopping malls
of over 50 acres of outlet shops, there are 3 trails of varying length
to follow. The Falcon Trail crosses the wetlands on its way to the high
meadows along the southern ridgeline of the park. The County Durham coastline,
the North Sea and a Bronze Age barrow can be seen from the Barrow Lookout.
A shorter trail, the Hare Trail, climbs the Terraces, crossing the Valley
Wetlands where plovers and lapwings, ground nesting birds can be seen.
Hares and rabbits abound in the High Meadows. The Dragonfly trail is a
more gentle stroll through the Valley Wetlands to the West Pond. It is
hoped that the larger and deeper ponds will attract birds and animals
and fish eggs may eventually be brought in on the feet of wading birds.
The smaller and shallower ponds should attract insects, amphibians and
reptiles.

Bird view of the Dalton Park Shopping Centre

So if you do visit the park perhaps you may reflect
on what happened many years ago in this area first visited by the Venerable
Bede. The establishing of the parish of St. Stephen’s, the sinking
of Dalton New Winning where many thousands of men and boys toiled over
the years and perhaps reflect that beneath your feet on 26 November, 1851
a young lad, Robert Davidson, aged 12 “ in company with another
lad was riding on top of the cage when he fell backwards and was crushed
at the staple in the Polka Pit”. How the area has changed!

The fifth instalment of the Dalton family who were descended from
John and Susannah Dalton of Ireland, based on information given by Bill
Dalton of Gig Harbour, Washington, USA with additional information from
the Editor.

This instalment completes the story of the life of
Robert J. Dalton, born in Ireland 1842, and his wife Winifred born in
1853 in Wales.

In 1912 Robert and his family moved to 582 East 107th
NE Cleveland, Ohio where he continued to work as a watchman. The next
mention is made of them is in the 1920 US Census when they were enumerated
as still living at the same address. Robert, at the age of 73 continues
to work as a watchman in a plate glass company. He is a naturalised citizen,
married for 40 years who lives in his own house with no mortgage. A man
who can read and write. Living with the couple is their 22 year old unmarried
daughter Elizabeth C. Dalton. She has no occupation so perhaps she is
helping to look after the couple.

They remained at this address until 1926. This is
the last time Bill Dalton was able to identify the couple at this address.
Shortly afterwards they must have moved as in the following year, on 24th
February, 1927, at the age of 80, Robert Dalton died in West Brownsville,
Pennsylvania. His obituary reads: "Dalton-Robert, at West Brownsville,
Pennsylvania 24th February at 10.10pm. husband of Winifred (nee Morgan),
father of Joseph T., Chicago, Mrs M.J. Engle and Joanna, West Brownsville;
W.J., Thomas E., Edward N., and Charles E. of Cleveland. Funeral Monday,
28th, from family residence, 582 E. 107th Street. Services at St. Aloysius’
church at 10.30 a.m."

N.B. Daughter Elizabeth
is not mentioned.

In the 1930 Census Win/n/ifred is found living with her
daughter Johanna J. at 300 Rack Road Street, West Brownsville, P.A., the
home of another daughter Mary who is married to Matthew Engel. From the
Census Johanna is listed as Head of household paying a 25$ rent to Mathias
and Mary. Winifred is a widow and 30 year old daughter Johanna is the
manager of her own grocery store.

On Saturday 26th July, 1930 at Cleveland, Cuyahoga County,
Ohio at the age of 77 years and 9 months Winifred Dalton died.

Her obituary reads:

"Dalton: Winifred, beloved wife of the late
Robert, mother of Johanna, at home, James, Mrs M.J. Engle, William, Thomas,
Edward and Charles and deceased John, Robert, Elizabeth Saturday 26th
July, 1930 at 3pm. Funeral from the residence of her son Charles, 12725
Lake Shore Boulevard – Tuesday 29th. Services at St. Aloysius' Church
at 9a.m."

Her death certificate states that she is widowed, that
her birth place was Cardif/f, Wales and that she was born 1st March, 1853.
The cause of death given was myocardial insufficiency of unknown duration
and also senile. The latter may explain why she lived with first daughter
Elizabeth and latterly daughter Johanna at the home of a third daughter
Mary Engel.

A family who had travelled a long way
– the father Robert from his birthplace of Dublin, Ireland, across
the Irish Sea to South Wales where he met and married his wife Winifred
who grew up in the Welsh valleys. They continued their travels together
crossing the Atlantic Ocean to settle in the United States of America
where they raised their family.

From Wendy Fleming, Australia

Congratulations to Wendy Fleming,
President of the Melbourne Poets Union, on receiving an Australia Day
Award from Jenny Macklin, Federal Minister for Families and Community
Services, for her work in the Community for Literary Arts. Poets@Watsonia
and Melbourne
Poets Union.

Wendy Fleming (on the Right) receiving her
Award

Spring is upon us here in Las Vegas! The trees are
getting their new leaves and buds are beginning to appear on the rose
bushes that are just outside my office window. There should be an abundance
of flowers in another week or so, hopefully just in time for Easter!

Dalton DNA web site Updated:

There has been a lot of activity on the Dalton DNA website.
The maps showing the geographic distribution of members of Genetic Family
A and Genetic Family D have been updated to include recent testees. Anyone
can visit the Dalton DNA web pages at http://www.dalton-dna.net/,
but only members of a particular Genetic Family may view the password-protected
portions.

Albemarle Daltons are connecting on Facebook!

I am pleased to announce that there is now a Facebook
Group for descendants of the Albemarle County, Virginia Daltons. The Facebook
group is maintained by Brenda Faye Dalton Craig in Tennessee There is
a collection of family photos and other info. The site facilitates the
sharing of family history info and research. This link will take you directly
to the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/daviddaltonsr/.

David has also added a link to the Dalton Data Bank,
on the home page. If you are connected to the Dalton lines that originated
in Albemarle County, Virginia, we invite you to visit, and send a Friend
Request to be added to the group.

The Facebook page was brought to our attention via a
post to the Dalton Forum.

Membership Database:

Some months ago, the membership databases that each
membership Secretary maintains, were merged and converted into a relational
data base. This will make it easier for email and postal address changes
to be kept current, particularly when the Dalton Journal is sent out.

We need your help to make sure all info
is current - if you have moved, or changed your email, PLEASE contact
us!!! Sometimes we don't know about changes until we find that some hasn't
received a copy of the Journal, or until an email message bounces back
as undeliverable. North American members can send updates to me at karen@golden-hills.com.

New Members:

Lisa D. Mahler, San Angelo, TX
- Lisa has Dalton connection in two braches of her family tree, and traces
her Dalton lines back to Pittsylvania County, Virginia.

During the reporting period, there was 1 new topic added,
2 new posts and 8 new members added.

DGS Web Site Usage Statistics:

1,391 Visits from 52 Countries / Territories

Google Ad Campaigns:

Dalton Data Bank Site:

24,033 Visitors reached the Data Bank by clicking on
one of the 2,990,572 Google Ads served during the reporting period.

5,167 Visitors viewed the “Join Us” pop-up
on the Databank site. The diagram below depicts the Top 5 Countries and
Rest of the World where these visitors were located:

Google Ads for new memberships:

This Ad Campaign generated 2 visits to the Membership
information from 3,449 Google Ads served during the reporting period.

Well that's all for this month.

Best wishes for a very Happy Easter!

Karen Dalton Preston
North American Secretary

Thank you to all who have contributed to the April
2012 issue of "Daltons in History".

Mel and I hope you have all had a good Easter.

Please send us any ideas you may have for future
articles or areas of research we could look at. New ideas are needed!!

Please make use of the new "Correspondence
section". Come along now, all of you must have some nagging
question or a query which you need an answer for. This section is your chance!!

Please consider contributing a short description of any
Dalton-related travels you may have undertaken anywhere in the world. Also
members who are travelling to do research, visit a Dalton-connected site,
or have made a connection to a distant cousin through the DGS. might be
interested in letting other members know what they are doing through "Daltons
in History". Photos from your travels would be appreciated. Also,
it would be a way of helping members get to know each other a little better,
and might help members who are widely dispersed geographically to feel a
bit more connected.

Contributions for the May 2012 issue need to
be with me no later than 25th April, 2012. (e-mail: dairneirwin@ntlworld.com).

Please continue to stick to the set deadlines!!
There is no excuse for missing the deadline - PLAN AHEAD!!